Mother Teresa: Redifining What a Successful Life Means

How does one define success? Which in your opinion lived a truly successful life; the doctor with a good practice hailed for his innovative technique in surgery that comes home to a big empty house or, that of a wisp of a woman, who wears a $1 sari, appreciated by a dying leper for holding his hands until the final breath leaves his crippled body?

People nowadays equate success with titles, novelties, corporate achievements, financial freedom and yes, living the easy life. Christian or not, whether you be Jewish, Muslim or Hindu, who doesn't want to have any of these "blessings"? Which of us can truly say that we would rather starve with the poor than dine along with the rich?

Society's mandate for the upcoming generation is to rise up to the challenge of the new millennia. To take risks; to be visionaries in the field of science, politics and business; to be more aggressive; to get what we want; to be where we want to be ( which of course is to be at the TOP). These are the pressures that we are all facing today. We have made living in this world a "rat race," where the leaders of the corporate world demand perfection from their employees. We have been geared to be on top regardless of what it may take to stay on top. In our focus to stay on top we have neglected to harness the perfection of our humanity and even spirituality. In the end, all of us die and all of us will be judged according to how we loved ourselves, our family and our neighbors. The love we give from doing what is good for others. It will not matter if we are one of the top scientists in the world or the CEO of a Forbes top five company. All that matters is how we have "successfully" lived our life in accordance to God's Mandate.

Mother Teresa did not perform any such miracles like raising the dead or making the cripple walk again. The miracle was her life of humble servitude towards the outcasts of society, the neediest of the needy. Most of all, she didn't choose help only those who belonged to Christianity - she welcomed the poor regardless of their religion, their denomination. She did not have an easy life. But more importantly, she opted not to have an easy life. From that moment, when she was on the train towards Darjeeling for a retreat, that she had her "second calling" from Christ to serve Him among the poorest of the poor was the moment that her life would never be the same again. That was her call to greatness for which she accepted without hesitation. Such brevity, such courage and such determination from such a frail woman leaves us undoubtedly fascinated and inspired to have even just a modicum of the faith that she had in her God.

We all each have our own purpose in life. We have our own road for which we were meant to travel. But perhaps, the message that the "Saint of Love" wishes to impart to all of us is that as we make our own journey in life, let not our ambitions or the ambitions of others influence us in such a way as to blind us from the main purpose of life's journey which is "to love one another as Christ himself loved us." It does not matter what we have achieved academically or financially for these do not constitute a successful life. But to live in humble obedience to your God's teaching of loving purely and indiscriminately no matter the cost is living a truly successful life.